Grilled Chicken with Sweet and Spicy Orange Ginger Garlic Glaze

So cooking yesterday was what I would refer to as a comedy of errors. It was 80 degrees and humid here in the Northeast. I took some chicken out in the morning and all day I was thinking about what I should do with it.Now I love a good baked chicken just like anyone but it was way too hot. So grilling became the obvious choice. I envisioned a moist chicken with a sort of sweet and sticky glaze. I had some cherry preserves but thought that would be a little too sweet so I opted for orange, soy and ginger.

It started out wonderfully…the chicken was nicely marinated and Craig began grilling. Unfortunately the combination of an overly hot grill and him stepping away for too long ended in a charred mess not suitable for eating, much less photos.I can’t tell you how unhappy I was, so off to the store Craig went to get more chicken while I cleaned up the grill. To add insult to injury, the rice I’d been preparing also burned due to the distraction created by the charred chicken.But if I am anything, it would be determined.True, my patience had worn thin, but I knew this would be a winner recipe and I was determined to share with my fellow foodies.In the end you have a chicken that is most definitely moist, that has a sweet sticky glaze resonant of orange, ginger, garlic and soy and yes, it was most definitely worth the headache and the wait!

You will need:

2 lbs chicken (thighs and drumsticks)

1/3 C. Soy sauce

1 C orange juice

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp minced ginger

1 pinch of salt and pepper

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

¼ C Rice Wine Vinegar

1/3 C dark brown sugar

1 ½ C. Chicken broth

2 ½ Tbsp corn starch

2 Tbsp orange marmalade

Directions:

In a large bowl combine orange juice, soy sauce, salt, pepper and half the garlic and ginger together.

Place chicken in a large Ziploc freezer bag and pour in half the orange juice mixture. Seal the bag and massage marinade into the meat making sure all sides get coated. Place in the fridge for 1 hour (turn the bag over at 30 minutes to make sure all sides soak in the marinade.

In the mean time mix together the cornstarch and chicken broth in a small bowl and set aside. Pour the remaining marinade, along with the remaining ginger and garlic, into a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil for 20 minutes and turn off heat and pour liquid through a mesh strainer to remove garlic and ginger pieces. Pour the marinade back into the pan and place over medium heat. Add the red pepper, vinegar and brown sugar, cooking for an additional 5 minutes and then whisk the chicken broth mixture and stir until thickened. Reduce heat to low and continue to heat through until chicken is done marinating.

When it’s ready place your chicken on the grill over medium heat cooking 6-7 minutes on all sides. Midway through the process begin brushing the glaze onto the chicken making sure that all pieces become well-coated throughout the cooking process.

When the chicken is done place on a serving platter and pour remaining glaze over the top. Cover lightly with foil and then serve immediately with your favorite side dish and plenty of napkins! Enjoy!!!